From day of reflection to weekend at the spa
This year, as youre taking Mom to a fancy brunch or showering her with chocolates, roses and glittery baubles, be aware that Anna Jarvis would not approve.
Jarvis is the West Virginia woman who set all this mom-worship in motion more than a century ago when she launched a campaign that resulted in the official observance of Mothers Day in the United States. After her mother died, Anna Jarvis wanted all mothers to be remembered. She hoped for a day of reflection and quiet prayer by families, thanking God for all that mothers had done. Her one concession to showy symbolism: She asked that white carnations be the official Mothers Day flower. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed the orders that made Mother’s Day a national holiday.
But, as Paul Harvey might say, thats only page one of the story. Heres page two: Just nine years later, Anna Jarvis filed a lawsuit in an effort to stop the over-commercialization of Mothers Day. As you might suspect, her lawsuit was not successful. This year, its estimated that spending on Mothers Day gifts totaled $16 billion.
Who said it? I dont Google very well, and I never will. (Answer below)
Pedal pushers: As gas prices soar, some area commuters wont really feel the hurt in their wallets because their commutes to work by way of bicycle dont rely on gasoline. Bicycle commuting is being celebrated this month, as May is National Bike Month. This is National Bike to Work Week, and specifically, Friday is National Bike to Work Day.
Even for those with a relatively short commute, the cycling miles can quickly roll up. For instance, Ed Moyers has logged more than 1,400 miles on his bicycle in the past year commuting to and from his office at Duke Energy in Charlotte. He rides 4.5 miles each way. Patrick Mumford, Wachovia Banks manager of environmental affairs, has biked his 2-mile commute to work (weather permitting) for the past 15 years.
Duke Energy and Wachovia are among the more than 50 companies in the Charlotte region that are Partners of the Clean Air Works! project.
Who said it: The quotation is from former North Carolina lottery commissioner Kevin Geddings, noting that his 10-year-old daughter will soon stumble on negative articles about him on the popular search engine Google. On Monday, Geddings received a four-year sentence for covering up his lucrative business relationship with a New York company that sells instant-win tickets and lottery software.